[Peace-discuss] A medic in the Iowa Army National Guard says......

[Ricky Baldwin]

I wouldn't take this guy's propaganda too seriously. 
Even if all these assertions are true (a big "if")
most of these items compare Iraq "before" the recent
invasion and "after" -- that is, NOT "before" the past
eleven years of brutal embargo, intended to "starve
them out", not to mention the weekly and often
semi-weekly bombings of Iraqi infrastructure
(including water and sweage treatement facilities)
under Clinton or the previous war under Bush Sr.  

In other words, even if the US has now made some of
the improvements cited below, they are only
improvements over devastation that the US was
responsible for in the first place.

I also think a few of the bigger claims, like the
millions who supposedly now have clean water "for the
first time ever" can't possibly be true.  At one time
Iraq was a wealthy, modern industrial state with
substantial infrastructure.  It is true that Saddam
Hussein and the Baathists ruined a great deal of that
during and after the eight year war with Iran (aided
by the US in doing so, of course), but even after that
the US-led forces eliminated much of what they now
claim to be replacing.   

So I think that there are two possibilities.  Either
this is a pack of lies, or it's mostly true but
disingenuous and misleading.  Take your pick.

Ricky
 
--- "Morton K.Brussel" <brussel at uiuc.edu> wrote:
> Have him send the references for these figures!
> These "facts" sound 
> like they came from Bremer's office.
> 
> Ask him if the folks in Falluja and Nadjaf are
> really happy with 
> American storm troops. Ask him about the reliability
> of the Iraqi civil 
> defense police and soldiers, who even Rumsfeld
> admitted were a 
> "disappointment". Etc., etc., etc. This guy seems,
> unfortunately, to be 
> firmly committed to his happy "job", and as much
> divorced from reality 
> as Bush. Suggest that he read Al Jazeera, or Robert
> Fisk, for a change.
> 
> MKB
> 
> On Apr 19, 2004, at 1:02 AM, Chuck Minne wrote:
> 
> > A friend whom I pepper with anti-war postings sent
> me this. Any 
> > comments?
> >  
> > This is a letter from Ray Reynolds, a medic in the
> Iowa Army National 
> > Guard, serving in Iraq:
> >         As I head off to Baghdad for the final
> weeks of my stay in 
> > Iraq, I wanted to say thanks to all of you who did
> not believe the 
> > media. They have done a very poor job of covering
> everything that has 
> > happened.  I am sorry that I have not been able to
> visit all of you 
> > during my two week leave back home.  And just so
> you can rest at night 
> > knowing something is happening in Iraq that is
> noteworthy, I thought I 
> > would pass this on to you.  This is the list of
> things that has 
> > happened in Iraq recently: (Please share it with
> your friends and 
> > compare it to the version that your paper is
> producing.)
> > * Over 400,000 kids have up-to-date immunizations.
> >  * School attendance is up 80% from levels before
> the war.
> > * Over 1,500 schools have been renovated and rid
> of the weapons stored 
> > there so education can occur.
> > * The port of Uhm Qasar was renovated so grain can
> be off-loaded from 
> > ships faster.
> > * The country had its first 2 billion barrel
> export of oil in August.
> > * Over 4.5 million people have clean drinking
> water for the first time 
> > ever in Iraq.
> > * The country now receives 2 times the electrical
> power it did before 
> > the war.
> > * 100% of the hospitals are open and fully
> staffed, compared to 35% 
> > before the war.
> > * Elections are taking place in every major city,
> and city councils 
> > are in place.
> > * Sewer and water lines are installed in every
> major city.
> > * Over 60,000 police are patrolling the streets.
> > * Over 100,000 Iraqi civil defense police are
> securing the country.
> > * Over 80,000 Iraqi soldiers are patrolling the
> streets side by sid  e 
> > with  US soldiers.
> > * Over 400,000 people have telephones for the
> first time ever.
> > * Students are taught field sanitation and hand
> washing techniques to 
> > prevent the spread of germs.
> > * An interim constitution has been signed.
> > * Girls are allowed to attend school.
> > * Textbooks that don't mention Saddam are in the
> schools for the first 
> > time in 30 years.
> >          Don't believe for one second that these
> people do not want us 
> > there. I have met many, many people from Iraq that
> want us there, and 
> > in a bad way. They say they will never see the
> freedoms we talk about 
> > but they hope their children will.  We are doing a
> good job in Iraq 
> > and I challenge anyone, anywhere to dispute me on
> these facts.  So If 
> > you happen to run into John Kerry, be sure to give
> him my email 
> > address and send him to Denison, Iowa. This
> soldier will set him 
> > straight. If you are like me and very disgusted
> with how this period 
> > of rebuilding has been portrayed, email this to a
> friend and let them 
> > know there are good things happening.
> >  Ray Reynolds, SFC
> > Iowa Army National Guard
> > 234th Signal Battalion
> >
> >
> > Read about Origen's tragic blunder, in Patrick
> O'Brian's Humorous 
> > Passage #1 at my website:
> www.angelfire.com/mi4/cmin/ For even more 
> > fun, click on this: SMILE
> >
> > Do you Yahoo!?
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> for 
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